The biggest surprise in <a href="https://nypost.com/article/best-baseball-betting-sites/">MLB</a> over the first six weeks of the season has been the Texas Rangers. 

Texas sits atop the loaded AL West heading into Friday. 

That’s about the nicest thing we can say right now about an Oakland team that comes into this matchup with the worst record in baseball.&nbsp;

A couple of lefties will battle it out on Friday night. 

Martin Perez (4-1, 3.86 ERA) will go for Texas, while the A’s turn to youngster Ken Waldichuk (1-2, 7.25 ERA).&nbsp;

Perez is coming off by far his worst start of the season where he allowed eight hits and seven runs against the Angels in 3 ²/₃ innings. 

Before that poor outing, Perez hadn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his first six starts.&nbsp;

Waldichuk will be making just his 15th career start. 

He’s allowed at least four runs in four of his seven starts in 2023, and now faces a Rangers offense that crushes lefties (hitting .271 and averaging just under seven runs per nine innings).&nbsp;

<a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Martin-Perez--e1683843077788.jpg"><button class="button button--modal-trigger " aria-label="Open the image in a modal." data-modal-image="27014246"> 
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<img data-modal-image="27014246" loading="lazy" width="100%" height="auto" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Martin-Perez--e1683843077788.jpg?w=1024" alt="Martin Perez" class="wp-image-27014246"></a><figcaption>Martin Perez </figcaption><figcaption><span class="credit">Getty Images</span></figcaption>

The A’s have been awful at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, sporting a MLB-worst 3-15 record at home heading into Thursday. 

Don’t look for that to change with Waldichuk facing a dangerous Rangers lineup.&nbsp;

<strong>Rangers -1.5 (-120, <a href="https://nypost.com/article/fanduel-sign-up-offer/">FanDuel</a>)</strong>

Here’s our best bet for Rangers vs. Athletics during Friday’s baseball action.{ai:summary}<p>Texas Rangers are the surprise leaders of the AL West in MLB's first six weeks, with the Oakland A's languishing at the bottom with the league's worst record. On Friday night, the Rangers face the A's, with Martin Perez pitching against youngster Ken Waldichuk.</p><p>Perez, who is 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA this season, is coming off a poor start, having allowed eight hits and seven runs against the Angels in his last outing. Waldichuk, who has started for the A's 14 times, has struggled in seven of those games, allowing at least four runs on four occasions. The Rangers are expected to win by at least one-and-a-half runs with a dangerous lineup that crushes left-handed pitchers.</p>

Rangers vs. Athletics prediction, pick: Fade the worst team in the MLB tonight

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